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Ulema council asks government to reconsider job creation bill
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he Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has called on the government to reassess the controversial omnibus bill on job creation, particularly with regard to provisions regulating halal certification and the employment of foreign workers.
In a written statement issued last Friday, MUI secretary-general Anwar Abbas said the bill should aim to protect the economic interests of citizens by limiting the inclusion of foreign workers in the national workforce.
“[The bill] must protect national economic sovereignty and limit [the number of] foreign workers,” he said.
The country has seen an influx of foreign workers hired in labor intensive companies while numerous Indonesians in various sectors have been laid off after many companies stopped operations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the depressed global economy.
One case in point is the decision of Southeast Sulawesi Governor Ali Mazi last month to allow some 500 Chinese workers to work on nickel smelter projects in the province's Konawe regency after previously blocking their entry.
Ali said he had given permission to the Chinese workers after receiving orders from Jakarta. "Regional administrations should not contradict orders from the central government," Ali said.
"They're working here to support investment in Southeast Sulawesi, so that our economy can recover after the COVID-19 pandemic," he added.
In April, Ali and the Southeast Sulawesi Legislative Council refused entry to the foreign workers, supposedly because of concerns over COVID-19 transmission.
The Chinese workers were hired by Chinese-backed mining company PT Virtue Dragon Nickel Industry (VDNI) and PT Obsidian Stainless Steel (OSS) to install 33 pieces of smelter equipment belonging to PT OSS in Southeast Sulawesi.
The companies said they had to bring in the Chinese workers because of a lack of capable local workers and said that once the equipment was ready, the company would hire 3,000 local workers.
In addition to the foreign workers issue, Anwar urged the government to extend the same business flexibility granted to large corporations to the more than 70 million micro enterprises across the country, claiming that smaller businesses often lacked the knowledge and security required to stay afloat.
He also suggested that the state entrust all matters related to halal certification to the MUI, lest the bill risk violating religious principles.
“Halal [certification] should be separated from businesses and instead returned to its essence, namely Islamic principles, which fall under the MUI’s domain,” he stated.
He said the bill, which sets halal certification as a requirement for a business permit, would allow state authority to infringe on religious jurisdiction.
“On that basis, the MUI believes that, in regard to halal certification, the government should position itself as an administrative institution, while the MUI is positioned as an internal body that has the authority to issue the halal fatwa on products,” Anwar said.
